Around-the-World Adventure
by nootylicious
Summary: When Clement gives Felicity five tickets for an around-the-world cruise, she automatically thinks of her five best friends, Tina, Iroha, Yuri, Michelle and Rachel. After a minor hiccup, the six girls set off on an around-the-world adventure.
1. Chapter 1 - Excitement!

Felicity sprinted through Echo Town under the warm late-spring sunshine. She was panting excitedly, and clutched five notes for her five best friends, Rachel, Tina, Iroha, Michelle and Yuri. She stopped to jam a note into each of their postboxes when she got to them, and then took off again. Yuri was the first to hear the commotion, it being her day off, and peeked outside her door to see Felicity's blonde curls bobbing away in the distance. She checked her postbox, and found a little note written in Felicity's familiar neat cursive.

'To my dear friend Yuri,

Exciting news! Come by to Chez Clement this evening at 7. Free food provided!

Lots of love,  
Felicity"

She had included a little doodle of herself waving at the end. Yuri considered it. On one hand, she really wanted to work on a new dress design she had been thinking about this evening. On the other hand, free food. In the end, free food won out. Besides, maybe Felicity had something interesting to tell everyone.

"Hiya, Clement." Felicity heard Tina's familiarly cheerful voice, and buzzed with excitement.

"Bonsoir, ma jeune fille," Clement replied as Felicity rushed to the front.

"Hey-ho, Felicity," Tina grinned, sticking out her tongue. "What's this fascinating news you're planning on brightening up my dreary journalist's life with?"

Felicity hugged her. "Oh, you're going to have to wait for everyone else to arrive!" She giggled. "I can't wait to see the looks on your faces."

"If you say so," Tina said mockingly. She looked over at Clement. "Thanks for giving us the free food, mister Clement."

He sighed dramatically. "Oh, mon dieu! Free food for six girls! You are all so lucky that I would do anything for mon petit Felicity."

The girls giggled. "Sorry, mister Clement," Tina apologized.

"Non, non! Don't mind me! I shall just slave away for some ungrateful children who won't even pay me for my troubles." Just then, Iroha, Yuri, and Michelle came in. Clement raised his eyes to the ceiling and threw his hands up. "Mon dieu!" he cried, bustling into the kitchen. Felicity and Tina laughed while the other three girls looked on in confusion.

"W-what were you laughing at?" asked a concerned Iroha as the girls sat down at a table by the window.

"Oh, nothing. Anyway, where's Rachel?" asked Tina.

"...Late," said Yuri softly.

Michelle sighed, exasperated. "I swear, that girl is late to absolutely everything. We could always just start without her."

Felicity laughed. Although Michelle did a great job of keeping up a cute and demure image around the village men, she showed her true colours around her friends. It was incredibly refreshing to see the difference between public Michelle and private Michelle.

While the others were chatting, Iroha glanced out the window. She squinted, and then her eyes widened. She gently tugged on Tina's jacket and pointed. Tina followed Iroha's gaze, and then her eyes widened too.

"Is that..." she asked slowly.

"Is what?" snapped Michelle, turning around to look out the window. Upon seeing, she spluttered with laughter. "Oh my Goddess. That's Allen."

Yuri and Felicity looked to see Allen clinging on for dear life to one of Rachel's cows in the distance. It looked like he was screaming. The cow was charging along the road from Rachel's farm with Allen on her back. Rachel herself could be seen racing after the runaway cow, shouting and waving.

Michelle cackled. "This is too good. We can't miss this one. Let's go." The five girls got up from the table and went outside to watch the spectacle.

The cow had already done a full lap around town, and Rachel looked exhausted trying to keep up. Even from a distance, it was clear to see that Allen's knuckles were white from clinging on to the cow's pelt.

"Poor Allen..." said Felicity worriedly.

Tina choked back laughter. "Y-yeah, poor Allen."

The cow came to an abrupt halt in front of Neil's wall, sending Allen flying over her head. Unfortunately, it had been raining the night before. Allen landed on the muddy ground, skidded for about twenty metres, and crashed, rear-end first, into Rebecca's fence next door. Neil, hearing the commotion, poked his head outside. He saw the scene and immediately withdrew into his house and shut the door.

Michelle was in hysterics, gasping for air. "What an idiot!" she spluttered.

The girls ran over to the scene, where Allen had picked himself up and was angrily shouting at Rachel.

"Oh, no! Allen! Are you hurt?" Michelle asked sweetly, doing a very good job of feigning concern.

Yuri was studying his expensive designer suit. "Your clothes... are completely ruined... Not even a dry-cleaner could help..."

Allen gave the girls a dirty look, and stormed off home. They turned their attention to Rachel. She looked as if she was about to cry.

"Rachel... What happened? Are you all right?" asked Iroha, taking her hand.

"Yeah, I..." She sighed. "Allen came to the farm and asked if he could ride the cows." The girls stared at her. "I said no, of course," she said hurriedly. "That's stupid, they would hate that! But he said something like, 'oh, I'm going to be the world's best cow jockey'... or something. And then, he just... hopped on Candy." She looked over at the cow, who had already seemed to have forgotten the experience and begin to wander home. "And then all that happened, and he started shouting at me, and..."

"Ohh, Rachel, cupcake," said Felicity softly, pulling Rachel into a hug. "Forget Allen. Come on over to Chez Clement, and I'll have Clement make you a nice milkshake."

Rachel smiled and sniffed, hugging Felicity back. "Thanks, Felicity."

"Oh, yeah!" Tina said, looking at Felicity. "What was it you were going to tell us?"

"Oh!" said Felicity. "Hmm... Let's go back to Chez Clement first."

The six girls were seated with their drinks. They all had a milkshake each, except for Michelle, who had a cup of strong black coffee, and Iroha, who'd ordered some oolong tea.

Tina took a slurp of her orange milkshake, and then waved her straw at Felicity. "So, come on! Out with it! What's the big secret?"

"I mean, you kept us waiting long enough," muttered Michelle.

Felicity smiled secretively and sipped at her strawberry milkshake. She loved all this suspense. "Okay. I suppose I'll tell you." She took another long sip of her milkshake.

The other girls looked apprehensively at her as she drank. She exhaled once she had finished drinking, and opened her eyes and looked at each one of them.

The tension in the restaurant could have been cut with a knife. Even Clement stopped cleaning down the counters to watch.

Felicity took a deep breath. "Oh, I need the bathroom now."

"Felicity!" shouted Rachel, banging her chocolate milkshake on the table.

"Please, tell us!" cried Iroha.

Yuri sipped on her mint milkshake.

Felicity giggled. "Okay, okay! Clement gave me seven tickets for an around-the-world cruise!"

The other girls' mouths dropped open.

She looked around at their gobsmacked faces. "Well, I was expecting more of a reaction."

Tina was the first to snap out of it. "A-a-around the world?" she stuttered.

"How did you get a hold of them, mister Clement, sir?" Iroha asked him, shocked. He chuckled, and flicked the towel he was holding in their general direction.

"Nosy, nosy! But yes, I can see why you would be curious," he said, smiling coyly. "I do have my ways, you know."

"Madeleine won them from a competition, but she can't go because of work," Felicity explained.

"And my kind little flower decided to give them to her old Papa! Is she not so sweet?" he giggled, laying one hand on his cheek and flapping the teatowel with the other.  
"But, you know, my dears, there is no way that I could close up the restaurant for so long. And who better to give the tickets to than my lovely Felicity?" Felicity smiled at him.

The girls (mostly Tina and Iroha) made some flustered and overwhelmed attempts at thanks, which Clement lapped right up. When they had finished showering him in praise, he shushed them and flourished the tea towel.

"So, mes cheries! Your ferry leaves in a week. Although it pains me to say farewell to my dear Felicity, I promise I shall see you off with a feast fit for a king!"

The girls cheered, and fell into chatter. Clement set about closing up the restaurant while the girls spent the rest of their evening discussing the trip. At around nine, the exasperated Clement shooed them out of his restaurant. They all said farewell to each other and dispersed home to pack.


	2. Chapter 2 - Up, Up and Away

Iroha woke up early on Tuesday morning. She got dressed, had breakfast and grabbed her travel bag. As she was locking up her forge, she heard a familiar voice.

"Irohaaaaa! Over here!"

She turned to see Rachel running towards her and waving. "Ah, miss Rachel! Good morning," she called back.

Rachel stopped before her and stretched. She straightened up, pushed her blonde fringe out of her face and grinned. "Hey, none of that 'miss' stuff, okay? We're friends!"

Iroha blushed. "I'm sorry. It's an old habit that I can't seem to shake."

"Tush, tush. You don't have to apologize. Anyway, is that all you're bringing?" Rachel motioned to the little bag that Iroha carried. Iroha took it off her back and looked at it.

"Um, I suppose so. All I really need is a hairbrush, some shampoo, a toothbrush and a few changes of clothes. Why? What are you bringing?"

Rachel laughed superiorly. "Why, lady Iroha! I'm glad you asked." She flourished the enormous suitcase she was carrying. "Only what every lady needs. Plenty of farm-fresh produce!"

"Wait, are you sure you can even bring that?" Iroha pondered as Rachel zipped open the suitcase. About five bottles of milk and two cartons of eggs tumbled out.

"Ah, that's only if they catch me!" Rachel laughed knowingly, tapping the side of her nose. "Anyway, anyway, look here! The harvest was particularily good this year. Get a hold of this baby!" She pulled a large turnip from her case and presented it proudly to Iroha, who looked at in disbelief.

"Did... did you even bring any clothes?" she asked weakly.

Rachel looked at her questioningly. "Won't what I have on now do?"

Iroha was about to respond, when she noticed Yuri standing next to Rachel, staring at them both. She didn't say anything.

"Ah, Yuri, g-good morning," she greeted her friend. "...How long were you standing there?"

Yuri took a bite of the sandwich she was holding. "...About five minutes." She looked at the enormous turnip. "That's a big turnip," she observed.

"I know, right?" said Rachel cheerfully as she stuffed the produce back into her case and zipped it up. "Anyway, we don't want to keep Felicity waiting." She began to push Iroha and Yuri along, yelling "go, go, go!"

Charles' moustache bristled happily in the early morning sunshine. He shielded his eyes with his manly hands as he gazed into the bright blue sky.

"Grand morning for flying, wouldn't you say, girls?" he said loudly and cheerfully, spinning his heel around to face them.

However, he was met with only Felicity and Tina's equally cheerful cry of "yes, sir!"

Camillia delicately put a slender hand to her face. "My, my, where are the rest of the girls?" she asked worriedly.

Tina shrugged her orange-clad shoulders. "Late as usual, I guess."

Camillia sighed. "Well. Don't they know that it's terribly unladylike to be late?"

Just then, the travel agency's back door burst open and Michelle staggered out onto the runway, balancing huge plates of food in her skinny arms. Everyone paused to watch the pink-haired magician struggle. "Instead of just standing there with your damn mouths open, would one of you idiots help me with this?" she strained furiously.

After the plates had been distributed evenly, Felicity decided to ask what everyone had been wondering. "Um, where did you get these?" she enquired.

Michelle coughed out an angry sigh, and stretched her back. "That da..." She noticed Charles and Camillia looking at her concernedly. "...rling mister Clement gave them to me so everyone could have a tasty snack before we go~!" she said energetically, smiling cutely.

"Ah! Clement is always so good to us!" said Felicity happily.

"Did you be a nice girl and thank him, dear Michelle?" Tina asked sweetly. Michelle glared daggers at her.

"You bet your boxers I did!" she replied, just as sweetly.

"Hee hee. You're so cute, Michelle," Camillia laughed.

"Super cute." Tina smiled slightly sadistically.

Yuri opened the travel agency door and let Iroha and Rachel exit first. "Sorry we're late!" Rachel called.

"Good to see that everyone's so energetic!" Charles laughed loudly. "Time for take-off!"

"Yeah!" Tina yelled, punching the air and hopping around in her seat. "We're on our way!"

"Clement told me that our first stop is Harmonica Town," Felicity told everyone once Tina had settled down. "We can get the boat from there, so then the cruise can really start."

"We could relax on the beach," suggested Iroha shyly. "You know... before we set sail."

Rachel nodded. "A wise suggestion, Lady Iroha!" she said sternly.

Yuri said something, but, Yuri being Yuri, nobody heard her at first.

"What was that?" Iroha asked her gently.

"...Michelle," she said quietly, pointing to the back seats. They all realized that Michelle had said nothing for the duration of the flight.

"I bet she's asleep. She's terrible with early mornings, anyway," Tina reassured them, twisting in her seat to bother Michelle. "Wakey, wakey, Sleeping Beauty..." She froze.

"What is it, what is it?" giggled Felicity. Tina turned back, staring straight ahead.

"U-uh, Charles?" she said, deadpan. "We have a problem."

"Oh?" Charles called back over his manly shoulder. "And what would that be?"

Felicity looked back to see an empty back seat. The caw of an eagle could be heard in the distance, and a soft wind whistled under the wings of the plane.

"We forgot Michelle."

A lone lark soared above the plane as it made its way through the brilliant blue sky. The sun shone gently, as though it hadn't a care in the world.

"Oh."

Michelle skipped through the back door of the travel agency.

"Thanks for letting me use the bathroom, Camillia! I'm all ready to go!" she sang.

Camillia turned around and stared at her in shock. "M-Michelle, dear?" she stuttered in disbelief. "But I thought-"

"You thought what?" asked Michelle a little sharply, one of her rare good moods fading fast.

"You were supposed... to be on the plane. Oh, no."

"I was... What? Where is everybo..." she trailed off once she realized that Charles' shiny plane was nowhere to be seen.

Michelle's outraged scream could be heard from the plane. But it was already a speck in the distance, too far to see.


	3. Chapter 3 - Harmonica Town

The plane landed in Harmonica Town before the sun had begun to set. The town was beautiful, all white stone and sunshine, but none of the girls had the stomach to enjoy it.

"She's going to kill us," said Rachel in an empty voice, staring vacantly at the sea.

"It was an honour to be your friend, everyone," said Iroha as she sat on a rock, staring at her feet.

"M-maybe she'll forgive us!" tried Tina with a forced tone of optimism in her voice.

"...She can't catch up to us. She's too far away. We're safe... until we get back. Let's enjoy ourselves... before she finds us," said Yuri quietly.

Felicity perked up. "Yeah!" She stood up. "We all brought our swimsuits, right?"

All the girls nodded, except for Rachel.

"Oh... Maybe we can buy you one, Rachel!" Felicity reassured her.

"I could make you one..." Yuri told her, examining her to try and guess her measurements.

"No need!" laughed Rachel, waving her off. "I can just use my underwear."

"Oh." Iroha considered it for a while. Underwear and swimsuits are pretty much the same thing, anyway, except swimsuits are more comfortable in water. And Rachel was pretty used to the less comfortable options in life, being a farmer, so she should be fine. "Well, shall we go to the beach?"

The sand was hot from the sun, but the sea breeze gave a balance to the heat. Yuri was giving Felicity swimming lessons in the shallows, and held her hands as she kicked her feet in the water. Yuri wore a characteristically stylish mint-green frilled swimsuit. She had left her glasses on top of her travel bag. Felicity wore a cute blue-and-white-striped bikini and an inflatable tube with ducky patterns on it. Iroha was further out to sea, collecting sea urchins in a bucket. Tina and Rachel sat on the shore building sandcastles together. Tina was in an orange bikini, and Rachel wore a white bra and briefs.

After about an hour, Tina straightened up with a satisfied look on her face. "Guys, look, look!" she called to the rest of the girls. Iroha surfaced and Yuri helped Felicity to a standing position, and they all looked over at what Tina was so proud of.

Tina had constructed a huge sandcastle, complete with turrets, miniature windows and a little flag that she had stuck on top featuring a crude drawing of herself. She presented it with a confident smirk, and shouted "Feast your eyes upon Fort Tina!"

The girls collectively made some impressed noises and clapped. Tina put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes, grinning cockily.

"Ah, yes. Now, I truly rule this beach. There is no one who would dare oppose the might of Fort Tina!"

"Not so fast!" came a shout. Tina turned, looking incredulously for the one who spoke against her. Rachel was pointing at her, a defiant expression on her face. "I oppose you!"

Tina glared at Rachel and placed one foot behind the other. "Who are you that would defy me?" she snarled, taking a fighting stance.

"It is I, Rachel, Queen of the Sands, and the weapon I bring against you is..." She stepped to the side, revealing her creation. "Fort Potato!"

An enormous fort in the shape of a majestic potato towered over Fort Tina. It even had little sand cows guarding the front of it. Tina recoiled, staring in horror at the crop-themed castle, as the other girls cheered loudly.

"...Hmph." She regained her composure. "It appears I underestimated your strength, Queen of the Sands." She pointed a finger accusingly at her enemy. "Or so you call yourself!"

"There can only be one," Rachel replied clearly and steadily. "We must fight to the death for the title of Queen of the Sands! Ready yourself, my mortal foe!"

"Prepare to taste defeat!" Tina shouted back. Her tyranny was interrupted by a flying kick to the face. The former Queen of the Sands fell to the ground, and Michelle landed neatly behind her.

"Michelle!" cried Felicity happily. "You made it! How did you get out here?"

Michelle turned her head towards them, her face a mask of pure fury. The girls stopped laughing and froze in fear.

"I got a _lift_," she said in a dangerously calm voice, pointing over beyond the dunes. Neil's truck that he used for transporting animals was stopped just outside the beach, and Neil himself was in the driver's seat, looking sullen and a little bit shaken. The girls waved at him, but he pulled out of the dunes with a screech of tyres and drove away as fast as the truck would go. They turned their attention back to Michelle, who's nostrils were beginning to flare.

"Michelle, my dear, my darling, my bestest friend, I'm so glad to see y-" Rachel whimpered as Michelle shoved her heel into the base of Fort Potato, causing it to crumble. She stamped the castle back into sand. Rachel screeched.

"Why?!" she wailed. "Why Fort Potato? What did I do?!"

Tina had sat up and snorted obnoxiously at the destruction of Fort Potato, until Michelle kicked Fort Tina into her eyes. She squawked and rolled around in the sand.

Michelle turned her wrath on the three girls in the water, two of whom squeaked in fear and clung to Yuri. "You. _Left. Me._" she hissed furiously. "I had to get a lift with that animal trader guy. In the truck he uses. For animals." She narrowed her eyes. "Do you know what animals make? Do you know what it _smells_ like?"

Yuri looked at the fuming Michelle. She detatched the two girls from her arms and walked slowly towards her.

"Y-Yuri...!" whispered Iroha, terrified. Felicity silently said her goodbyes to her friend.

She kept walking until she was right in front of her, looking down at her. Michelle narrowed her eyes further and glared up at her closest friend. Yuri took out a pink shell from behind her back.

"...I found this... for you," she said quietly, presenting the shell to her. Michelle's eyes softened somewhat, and she looked up at Yuri.

"Yuri, I..." she said softly, obviously touched.

"I was saving it... for until you showed up..."

"Nice save, Yuri!" Tina sort-of-whispered, flashing Yuri a thumbs-up. Michelle kicked more sand in her face and she flailed around.

"...Let's sunbathe together..." Yuri said quietly, taking Michelle's hands and pressing the seashell into them.

Michelle tried to look angry. She looked away, and mumbled, "I guess I'll forgive you just this once..."

Everyone sighed an inward sigh of relief. The rest of the afternoon continued in sun-soaked bliss.

"What was the place called, again?" Tina asked Iroha as they made their way up the white-stone road.

"The Ocarina Inn. At least, that's what I think it was," Iroha replied.

"Hm..." Felicity mused. "The Ocarina Inn. It has a lovely ring to it, doesn't it?"

"I have a cousin who can play the ocarina!" Rachel stated proudly. They had reached a set of stairs.

"And what can _you _play?" Michelle asked cuttingly. She smiled sadistically at Rachel, who she expected to look crestfallen, but instead looked happy to be asked.

"Actually, we had a family reunion a few months back! We all did a little concert together." Rachel struggled to lug her overstuffed case up the steps.

"You can play an instrument, Rachel?" Tina asked her, surprised. The farmer dragged the case up the last step and set it down with a little huff.

"Yup! I'll have you know I'm actually pretty good on the spoons. I just never played at the Music festival, because _Dunhill_," (she said the old man's name in an incredibly sarcastic tone) "said they're not a _real instrument_. But he wouldn't know talent if it bit him on his wrinkly old butt."

"Thank you, Rachel," Michelle snapped, squeezing her eyes shut, "for putting the image of his wrinkly old butt in our heads. Anyway, is this it?"

They stood outside a flat-roofed building, painted in a calming blue. It fit in well with the rest of Harmonica Town's aestethic.

"Well, that's what it says in the guide book," Felicity told them, peeking into the leaflet that Iroha was holding. They had picked it up earlier on from a round little man with a questionable haircut.

"...It's cute," Yuri remarked.


End file.
